Greenberg goes with flow

February 25, 2006|PAUL SULLIVAN Chicago Tribune

MESA, Ariz. -- Adam Greenberg is resigned to the fact he'll always be known as the player who got hit in the head in his first major-league at-bat. Now Greenberg is trying to ensure it won't be his only major-league at-bat. The 25-year-old outfielder is in Cubs camp as a non-roster invitee and is likely to start the season at either Double-A West Tenn or Triple-A Iowa. In one of last season's most unforgettable moments, Greenberg was hit in the head by Florida pitcher Valerio de los Santos on July 9 in Miami on the first pitch he saw after being called up from the minors, sending him to the hospital with a concussion and ending his stay with the Cubs. Greenberg eventually recovered from the beaning and a brief bout with vertigo, but he was not called up in September to help erase the memory of that night. There are no guarantees in baseball, so Greenberg knows there's a possibility that one at-bat may wind up as the only one of his career. While his chances of making this season's roster are slim, Greenberg has learned the hard way not to take anything for granted. "I just want to do whatever I can to help the big team win a championship," he says. "That's my whole goal. "I want to play well, obviously. But I'm going out every day and not worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow or where I'll end up, because you never know where you're going to be or what's going to happen as I've found out throughout my career time and again." Greenberg was called up from last July from West Tenn when Corey Patterson was demoted to Iowa. Top prospect Felix Pie was slated to join Matt Murton as the call-up, but an ankle injury sidelined Pie, forcing general manager Jim Hendry to change his plans. He bypassed journeyman outfielder Calvin Murray at Iowa, opting to give Greenberg an opportunity. Greenberg never got that chance, and now he has to hear about the incident frequently. He understands the drill. "Absolutely," he says. "That was last year. Until I go out and give the media and the fans a reason to start talking about my game on the field, that's to be expected. I just want to make my play on the field be something they can talk about from now on." After the incident Greenberg received hundreds of e-mails, letters and calls from people he didn't know who had watched the game on TV. While no one wants to get hit in the head to get attention, the response made him realize how fortunate he was to be a Cub, even for a cameo appearance. "They were real sincere, real genuine," he says. "They said things like, 'We're pulling for you,' or they were upset about the situation. But I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm not looking for excuses. What happened happened. "If anything it got people to follow me, and now I have a fan base, so when I go out and play well, I'll hear good things. If I go out and play bad, that goes with the territory." Greenberg spent part of the off-season in the Venezuelan winter league.